Love Gets Stronger
by PLLHalebSpoby
Summary: AU. When Noel Kahn meets Victoria (Tori) Jennings in the hallways of Rosewood High, he is completely and irrevocably enamored. Their love, through trial and error, only gets stronger with the passage of time. When A sinks their claws into their relationship, and harms Tori, what Noel do?
1. Chapter 1

Noel Kahn had built up a reputation for himself as a party boy. After all, his parents and older brother, Eric, owned two of the most high profile party spots in and around Rosewood.

A jock had become his forte in school. Football was his sport of choice. Girls were his for the taking. It was just too hard to resist falling for his impeccable good looks, his winning and cheeky smile, and the flirtatious way he spoke to them. As if he _knew _them.

One night stands were his preferred method of getting to know them. If he liked one, he would keep her in his circle for a week or two, but never longer than that.

It was just too soon for him to be tied down with anyone.

Life was too short to waste.

Besides, he had his entire adult life to choose a woman to settle down with.

No girl had ever matched up to what he envisioned himself with fifty years from then.

That was until he met her.

Somehow, in the four years he had been imprisoned in that school, he had either failed to notice her, or he had been blind.

Because when he saw Victoria Jennings (Or Tori), talking animatedly to her friends. Her beautiful, silky hair flowing easily in the air conditioned school, he was enamored.

It wasn't just her looks, which would be enough to make any weaker man stumble, but it was her laugh, how it sounded like the most precious of gemstones, the way she moved her hands to illustrate her story when she spoke.

By the end of the day, after observing (or stalking) her, he squared his shoulders, tried to get back some of his self-assured confidence, and walked up to her.

She was standing in line, waiting to be let go from the school for the day. It was the perfect opportunity to formerly introduce himself to her.

"Hi," he said. "You're Tori."

"I am," she said, turning around and facing him. "And you're Noel Kahn."

"So you've heard of me?"

That was a start, at least.

"Of course. I was at one of your parties last summer."

"You-you were?"

"Yeah. You probably missed me, I was out back with my friends."

He mentally slapped himself for having missed her.

"Oh, well I was inside fooling around with the guys. Beer pong and all that."

"I got it."

Someone from her posse called her, something that made him regretful but he turned back to her with a forced smile. "I guess I'll catch you later?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Going back home, he went up to his room, slammed and locked the door and checked his phone. Plenty of mixed calls and texts from people wanting to know when the next party would be, but none from the one he _really _wanted to hear from.

Flipping the phone back on his bed, he lounged on the love seat he had gotten from his parent's old garage. Probably he should have asked for her number, that would have been the next step in cementing his feelings for her, and making her know it, too.

For all he knew, she probably thought he was some jock who was out looking for the next conquest.

He knew that he felt and sounded like a girl who was obsessing over some guy, but he couldn't help it. She made him crazy, and in all the good ways, too.

He was a goner. He loved her. He liked her. He was every cheesy word in the English language.

* * *

_This little ficlet is inspired by an idea that was presented to me by MrsBrantDaugherty, who helps me run a Pretty Little Liars Forum, and is based off of Noel and the OC that she created. I hope you enjoy and stick around for the ride!_


	2. Chapter 2

Rosewood High was holding one of its pep rallies, something in support of banning trans fats from the dietary menu, or something along those lines.

Noel, who, while mindful of what he put in his mouth, didn't necessarily support the ban, but he stuck it out. One of his friends, who had a mother on the committee that was banning the food, was attending, and wanted Noel to be there so he wouldn't look like the only idiot that was supporting it.

Rolling his eyes at the cheesy songs that were being shouted out over the loudspeakers, he crossed his arms over his chest and counted down in his head the minutes until it was over.

"Get into it, man," one of his friends said, the one who had dragged him to the rally in the first place. "This is for a _good _cause." The way he said, it sounded like he had a bad case of gas.

"Whatever you say, man."

The stands in the gym, where the pep rally was being held, was so jampacked full of people that when students began bumping into him in order to shove past him to get seats, he almost didn't think anything of it.

Until he saw her.

Tori was one of the people who had bumped into him on her way to higher territory. She, along with Spencer and Hanna, were already seating themselves before he had the chance to say anything.

Another missed opportunity.

He could have cried.

Thankfully, he was saved the humiliation when the rally was abruptly called to a halt. Giving his friend a relieved look, he joined him and some of the other dudes, as they wound their way out of the packed gym.

"Most useless rally _ever_," his friend complained, running his hands through his cropped hair.

"Dude, you have to tell your Mom to get a new hobby."

"That _is _her hobby. I tried, believe me."

But Noel wasn't paying attention to him anymore. Tori and her friends had flooded out of the gym with the others that had been left behind, and were standing around, talking.

"Catch you later," Noel said, before making his way over to the gaggle of girls. "Hi."

Some of them, Spencer included, simply ignored him, supposedly far too used to his games to make anything of him anymore.

Tori was the lone exception. She actually smiled at him, as though she were happy to see him.

"Hi, Noel."

"I saw you at the pep rally a little bit ago."

"Yeah," she said.

And then she lunged herself into a twenty-minute rant against trans fats and how they were the scum of the earth and should be banned from their foods.

By the time she had finally stopped to catch a breath, his head was spinning from all of the information she had spouted out.

"So do you eat anything?" he finally asked.

"Food," she said, with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh."

Well, a dinner date _was _his first choice. Something normal, something to clear the air with.

"I was thinking of taking you to some grille that I know of tomorrow. You know, just to hang out."

For the first time, she looked uncomfortable. It made his heart sink like a boulder into his stomach. "A date?"

"Anything you want it to be," he assured her.

"Okay. Yeah, that sounds great."

"Tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah."


	3. Chapter 3

**Tori POV**

Dinner with Noel Kahn. It was every highschool girl's dream. He was a football player, a complete stud, and he had a smile that would quickly put the brightest star to shame.

Going home after the pep rally, she combed through her hair after a quick (to her) twenty minute shower. Sorting through her list of hair products, she chose the one with the most natural smell, and sprayed it all through her hair.

Next moving on to her wardrobe, she leafed through the different selection of skirts, pants, tops and camis, before finally selecting something dinner-appropriate.

She had to remind herself that she wasn't dining with the president. Just a highschool guy, who she also found to be extremely attractive.

Her hormones fluctuating wildly, she had to pause to take a breath. It wasn't just excitement that was surging through her veins, but also nervousness.

What if she wasn't what he wanted?

What if once he got to know her on a one on one basis, he wasn't interested anymore?

_Ugh_, she told herself. _Stop. Grow up. And continue getting ready. _

The hand that suddenly clamped down over her mouth, had different plans for her night, however.

Bucking wildly, she tried her hardest to escape the unbreakable grasp of her assailant, as he began towing her toward her open bedroom door.

Obviously whoever it was, had scoped the place out, knowing that her parents weren't home, then.

Whimpering pathetically behind his hand, she tried every defense tactic she knew to no avail. He was simply too strong for her to overpower by herself, and that made her even more terrified.

When a slap of cold wind hit her face, tears sprang to her eyes, as he or she moved Tori toward their vehicle. A nondescript sedan with tinted windows, and an ample trunk for storing things. Or people.

As that horrifying realization hit her, she struggled harder than ever, screaming unintelligible words as she kicked and scratched at thin air.

Her kidnapper was smart-he kept his face hidden behind a ski mask, far out of reach of her claws as she tried to attack him.

However, just as he was about to deposit her into the trunk, she managed to rip part of the harsh fabric away.

She recognized the bad comb-over.

And the grunt of pain.

The voice.

Sean.

**Noel POV**

Hoping to choose something both classy and down to earth, Noel had ended up choosing one of his favorite restaurants, the Apple Rose Grille.

It was a Rosewood staple, and it offered a mountain of heavenly food to choose from.

Taking a seat next to the window, where he would be easily visible to Tori, he opened up his menu, ordered a water to start with, and waited with bated breath for her to walk through those doors.

When his water had come and gone, and after his second refill, he began to worry. Looking down at his phone, he saw that he had zero missed calls or texts from Tori.

Biting his lip nervously, he got up from his cherished seat, told the waiter in charge he would be back, and walked out into the frigid November air.

Something was wrong.

He could feel it.

_Hey. This is Tori, leave a message_. Her perky answering machine message said, when she failed to pick up the first dozen times of calling.

"Tori, is everything okay? Call me back."

With nothing to do but wait, he sat down on the bench outside the Grille, and waited.

Unable to sit still, he scrolled through his arms list of contacts. Sean was his first choice.

He was one of the only guys who he ever spoke to honestly, who he knew he could trust.

Sean was a good guy, the preacher's son, and someone who would always give him a straight, honest answer.

He didn't answer, either.

Brow furrowing in concern, he paid the tab, got back in his truck and made the long (or so it seemed to him), over to Tori's home.

Her parents were gone, out to some function, judging by the note they left on the table in the foyer.

His first destination was her room. It was sacred ground, judging from what nearly every girl he spoke to said.

Hesitant to invade that space, he debated for only a moment, before opening the door and taking a peek.

Clothes scattered on the floor, broken shards of glass were sprinkled around his feet, creating a hazardous situation if he wasn't careful.

When his attention was drawn to her dresser, he went closer. Bending down, he extracted the note that was pinned between a lamp and a family portrait.

_Tick tock, tick tock. The clock is ticking, Noel. Find her before the clock strikes midnight-A_


	4. Chapter 4

_A? Who the hell is A? _Noel found himself going almost insane with worry, as he abandoned the Grille and went back to Tor's family-style home.

A was obviously code for something, or a person even. A was the one who had taken Tori, kidnapped her. But why? Why would A have a reason to harm her? For ransom? Sure, he had all the money in the world to spare if it meant getting her back.

Once again thanking his lucky stars that no one was home at her house, he climbed the stairs three at a time and went back into her room. Feeling dirty, like he was invading her privacy, he began sorting through her things, trying to find any clue as to who her stalker (and kidnapper) was.

Papers meant nothing to him, they were bill stubs and appointment schedules. Including, ironically, the time she was supposed to meet him.

As he sharply turned around, he glimpsed her bed. Her outfit for the night was laid out on top of the neatly made covers: a vine-themed black skirt with a vibrant but beautiful top to accompany it.

"Why?" he muttered to himself, running his hand anxiously through his hair. "Why is this happening?"

He didn't know what to do! Anyone on planet earth could have grabbed her for the most random of reasons.

He really should call the police, he reasoned. Tori, if it turned out to be nothing, would probably have his head, but it would be better than the alternative if something really _was _wrong.

His finger was on the button of his phone, ready to dial the lifesaving number, before a new text replaced the call screen he had been ready to use.

_You call, she dies faster-A_

Were they watching him _now_? Spinning around, he went to the window, looking out over the darkened street, and seeing no one but the old lady walking her dog, and the power walker out for a ridiculously late night stroll.

Turning back from the window, he looked through her bookshelf again. A piece of paper that had been tucked in between some heavy school textbooks, came loose, wrinkled by the amount of time it it had spent squished between its roommates.

_Sean. 1780 Walter Street_

Sean? Sean was his best friend, a guy that he had known since Freshman year. What connection did she hae to him? Did she used to date him?

Shaking his head in complete confusion, he took one last look around her room, before grabbing the piece of paper, and heading out.

Where? To Sean's, to see if he knew anything about Tori's disappearance. Not that he ever thought he would. Sean would rather comfort an injured fly rather than put it out of its misery.

His house was only a few blocks from there. The beauty of living in a small, enclosed town like Rosewood.

* * *

**Tori's POV**

Gagged, tied to a twisted pipe in his basement, she tried to open her eyes, in denial that it was actually reality that was happening to her, and she wasn't in some outlandish dream.

The ropes he had used, burned against her skin as she struggled, a sign that her wrists were beginning to feel the wear of them.

Panting, she looked up toward the darkened entrance to the basement, which was shielded in darkness.

So far, Sean hadn't moved a muscle upstairs. When he did, the floorboards above her, would creak, signaling he was on the move.

"Hello?!" The broken plea for help came out muffled by her gag, but that didn't stop the stubborn streak in her from stopping. "Hello!"

Kicking wildly against her bonds, she tried to use anything in her arsenal to aide her. When she saw a discarded pen lying on the cold, cement ground a few feet from her, she used all of her concentration to retrieve the pen.

Inching her bound fingers toward the object, her fingers scratched cold ground as she tried again, this time easing as much of her body as she could that wasn't bound by the ropes.

_Yes! _She thought, when her fingers finally closed on the smooth side of the pen. Now knowing how to work the ropes off of herself with the pen, she kept it behind her while she could formulate a solid plan of escape.

Sean certainly couldn't know anything about it.

_He _was the one who snatched her, bound her like a pig, and left her alone in this place.

She had been at his house many times while they had been dating, and for some reason, she had never seen the inside of the basement before.

When she heard the door open up the stairs, she inched back to the little corner she had managed to sqeeze herself into. It was her only source of protection, she figured. It was secluded.

"Tori," Sean said, kneeling down in front of her, completely at ease, as though he had no compunctions about what he had done, how he had hurt her. "How are you doing?"

The gag prevented her from verbally lashing out at him but she fixed him with her most withering look as he paced in front of her.

"I know you're wondering why. Why I took you, why I left you like this," he said, waving his hand at the ropes. "I had to make sure you wouldn't escape."

Disgusted, she turned her head away from him, not wanting or willing to see his ugly face anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

Noel felt like an idiot for even thinking that his best friend since Freshman year would have anything to do with Tori's disappearance.

It was probably someone messing with him.

Whoever had taken her, was trying to throw him off, make him detour to his old friend's house so they could have time to move her someplace else.

Thinking that almost had him backtracking the other way, but he held firm to his intuition, which was telling him to stay and check the place out some more.

Walking up the newly painted porch steps, he paused before raising his fist and knocking. Anxiously switching from one foot to the other, he waited, his ears peeled for any noise beyond, in the house.

"Hey," Sean said, once he had finally come to the door after a few crucial moments. "Did I forget we had a guys night or something?"

"No," Noel said, shaking his head. "I was wondering if you've seen Tori anywhere."

"Tori?"

"Victoria Jennings," Noel said impatiently. "I haven't seen her, and I was supposed to meet her tonight."

"Well, maybe she stood you up," Sean said, shrugging.

Noel shook his head, denying Sean's statement. Instead, he was paying acute attention to the sweat beads on Sean's forehead, as if he been engaged in a power struggle of some sort.

"You been running a marathon or something?"

"Me? No," Sean shook his head. "Just been moving some stuff."

"Oh."

"Well, if that's all-" Sean said, attempting to close the door in his face.

Noel would have let him, would have walked away with nothing more than a renewed sense of urgency in finding his lost girlfriend, when he received a new text.

_On Your Mark-A_

"Do you mind if I come in?" Noel asked, not really giving Sean a chance to answer as he rudely barged in.

"Noel! Dude!"

Noel ignored him, as he surveyed the space in front of him. It was nothing more than what he had been accustomed to for years. The same homey furniture, the same frilly curtains and odd electronics.

Directing his gaze toward the basement, which was just off the living room, he slowly began descending the stairs.

"Tori!"

It was pitch black in the basement, and the only source of light down there, was not working. Crinkling his eyebrows in confusion, he began to hurry his pace, knowing something was wrong.

"Noel!"

A force as heavy as a boulder slammer into him, knocking him down the remaining few steps as he struggled to his feet, pushing his deranged assailant off of him.

It was Sean.

His eyebrow was heavily bleeding as he sprang to his feet like a Ninja.

"I told you not to go down here."

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

Giving him a swift kick to the gut that momentarily downed him, Noel continued his frantic search of the basement, leaving no box or stone unturned as he continued.

When he saw a small figure huddled in the corner, he dropped to his knees instinctively. "Tori," he gasped, kneeling down next to her as she glanced at him, her eyes tear stained.

She had been gagged. A filthy sock was stuffed in her mouth behind the roll of duck tape that had been wrapped behind her head.

Carefully ripping the duck tape from her mouth, he helped her remove the filthy sock from her mouth.

"Noel," she gasped, thick tears springing out of her eyes. "It happened so fast. He jumped me and-"

"I know, I know," he said soothingly, as he cut the ropes that had been binding her. "You're safe now."

And nothing could be further from the truth, as he held her in his arms.

She was safe.


	6. Chapter 6

_Warning: This chapter contains details and discussion of subject material that may be offensive or disturbing to some reading this chapter. _

_Proceed with caution._

Tori was still shaken as Noel carefully led her out of the house of horrors, and to his own truck. Shying away from his touch, she leaned as far away from him as possible in the car as they started driving.

Not out of fear of him, but out of shame for what Sean had subjected her to. It had been beyond her control, but she still felt dirty, violated as she curled up on herself.

Her breathing came out in ragged, shaken breaths as she glanced out the rain-soaked windows of his sports truck.

"Tori? Are you okay?"

His voice was so full of love, of concern for her and what she had gone through the last several hours. It melted her heart, and it made her forget, even for the tiniest of seconds, what had happened to her.

"No," she said, shaking her head, "but I'll get there."

Somehow. She didn't know how, but somehow she would find a way to move past the atrocity of what had happened to her, and find a way to move on.

"I'm so sorry."

"For what?" she asked, shifting her position for the first time to accurately look at him. "What could you have done?"

"Something," he said hoarsely. "Something to make sure the bastard didn't get his hands on you."

Lifting her one shoulder up in a shrug, she returned to her window gazing as they drove down the quiet streets of Rosewood.

"You couldn't have done anything. I didn't know he was that...that...deranged."

Even she didn't know that, and he had been subjected to his sexist views of women, and how he thought they should be treated, while they had been dating.

That had been one of the reasons she had eventually broken up with him.

Now, she only wished she had gone through with her initial gut instinct, and had obtained a restraining order, too.

"At least I found you in time," Noel said bracingly.

"I suppose. Where are we going?"

"The hospital. I don't like the look of your eye, and there are some bruises that might need to be checked up on."

"Oh. I might need something else, too," she said, sucking in a breath as she used her hand to halfheartedly wipe her tears away.

"What?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road for a split second to study her.

Inhaling a deep breath, she shook her head as she tried to muster up the courage to tell him what had happened.

"He...I...I need someone to test me for _rape_."

Noel looked positively horrified as he looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and anger for what she had endured.

"Are...are you sure?"

She nodded, letting a few tears slide into her mouth.

_*Flashback*_

_It had only been several hours since Sean had grabbed her, but to be honest Tori had begun to lose track of time. The sun had gone down, she could tell that, but she didn't have her phone to tell time, and a clock was nowhere in sight. _

_Struggling against her bonds, she could feel her wrists growing weaker and weaker as she continually exercised them with her fruitless struggling. _

_"I brought you something," Sean said, coming down the stairs. _

_"I don't want anything you have," she spat. _

_He smiled wickedly, bending down in front of her. "Yes, you do. Deep down, you know you do." _

_Shaking her head, she arched her head away from him when he reached out a finger and stroked her cheek, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. _

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"You want me. Not some jock that's going to break your heart and dance on it." _

_"He can't be worse than you!"_

_"I'll show you."_

_And then he settled himself between her legs as he caressed her face, making her skin crawl with revulsion as he lowered his head down to her lips, before they crashed painfully against hers. _

_Shaking her head in resistance, she bucked against his advances as he went further, removing her top and pants as she screamed behind her gag. _

When Tori had finished with her frightening tale, both she _and _Noel were in tears, as they sat parked outside the hospital.

"I don't want you to feel any differently about me," she said, trusting herself to look into his eyes.

"That's not possible," Noel replied, his voice hitched. "Nothing you just told me would _ever _change the way I feel about you. If anything, it only makes me feel stronger about you."

"Thank you."


	7. Chapter 7

It had taken awhile—Tori just wasn't feeling strong (or brave) enough to face going back to school, and to hear the rumors of what had gone down between she, Sean and Noel. Rosewood was a small town, not nearly big enough to cover up the gossip that had plagued the unfortunate citizens there.

Some deserved it.

Some flat-out _asked _for it.

But not her.

Something cruel had happened to her; something that she would have paid gold to go back in time and change; change Sean's motives, change her reactions and most of all, change the fact that she hadn't been able to get away before he had done it.

She had spent time in the hospital after the attack, and while she had been grateful for the reprieve that it had offered her. It had only given her time to think, and that was something she tended to avoid whenever possible.

If she didn't think about the actual event, it was easier to forge ahead. If she had a weak moment where the intrusive and torturous thoughts invaded her carefully boxed up mind, it was harder and harder to get rid of them than the last time it happened.

But going back to school promised to be one giant distraction, and she would be happy to embrace something like that.

"Hey," Noel whispered, leaning in close to her. "Are you okay?"

"Can I answer that later?" she asked, swallowing back the bile that had accumulated in the back of her throat.

"Sure," he said, as his lips breathed across the small of her neck.

Attempting to smile, she gripped his hand tightly as they walked through the familiar, condensed halls of Rosewood High. Some students possessed the decency not to stare, while most only possessed the rudeness _to _stare.

Resisting the urge to shield her face and run, she clung tightly to his hand, as they bravely faced the crowd together.

"Hey, Tori," Aria said softly, "welcome back."

"Thank you."

Aria was one of the few who had regularly called and made sure she was okay. Even going so far as to send personalized bunny rabbits to the hospital, and run interference with anyone that wasn't in her close circle, when they tried to visit.

"How are you?"

"Good, so far."

She wasn't sure how she would be at the end of the day, but she was determined to make every effort to make it a good one, and not let anyone ruin that good vibe she had going for her.

"Did you hear?" Hanna asked, as she joined the conversation.

"Hear what?" Noel asked, a teasing grin on his face. "The latest "in" trend is twerking?"

"No," Hanna said with a scoff, "_although_, I saw a girl Paige knows, do it, and it looked _really _sexy-"

"Okay!" Tori interjected, before her friend rambled herself into oblivion. "What's the big news, Han?"

"Sean's back. They released him from jail on some bail agreement, and now they're letting him back to school. Today is his first day."

Tori's once hesitant smile, vanished, replaced by one of deepest loathing and fear, as she looked to Noel for what to do next. It wasn't like any of them had expected Sean to be released so soon from custody.

He was of the legal adult age. Old enough to have the book thrown at him for sexual assault of a minor. Apparently, the legal system in Rosewood, which had already been faulty enough, had decided to excuse assault, too.

"Have you seen him?" Tori asked.

"No, but Spencer did," Aria said quietly.

"It doesn't matter," Noel said. "If the _prick _even _thinks _he can come near you, I'll tear his head off."

Noel meant that in every sense of the word—if Sean had any misconceived notions about he and Tori, Noe would beat him to within an inch of his life.

"What if he does something to you first?"

"It won't happen."

"Besides," Hanna said bracingly, "we'll form a united front, right?"

"Of course," they all echoed.

There was no way they would ever let Sean near their friend ever again.

"Thanks, guys," Tori said, smiling.

Between classes and frequent jaunts to her locker, Tori managed to avoid seeing Sean for most of the day. But eventually, her good luck was bound to end, and she knew it would only be a matter of time before the other shoe dropped.

It came after the final class of the day—English, which was usually a subject she loved.

"Hi," Sean said, coming up right beside her.

She didn't answer, wouldn't give him the satisfaction of him hearing her voice, or how wounded it was from what had happened. There had been a time when she had trusted him with her life, and he had betrayed that trust.

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

A simple shake of her head was the only answer she gave him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Noel demanded, as he threw an arm protectively around Tori's shoulders, pulling her close against him.

"Tori and I were just talking, Kahn," Sean said, narrowing his eyes questioningly at him. "If you would excuse us-"

"No!" Noel said, as he harshly grabbed Sean by his arm and threw a punch at his face. "In fact, don't _ever _come near her again! Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly," Sean said, his bottom lip bleeding, as he threw another punch at Noel's face. "You just want her to yourself."

"I want her because I love her. Which is more than I can say for you."


End file.
